Welcome to This Week’s Dissent Dispatch

Religious belief may be waning across much of the Western world, but America remains stubbornly devout. Meanwhile, in Britain, Qur’an-burning has nearly become a theological crime—until prosecutors recently walked back an alarming charge against protestor Hamit Coskun. And in Belgium, a misguided headscarf ban risks trading one kind of coercion for another. Plus: it’s your last chance to enter our 2nd Annual Draw Muhammad Day Contest—details below.

Unbelief Brief

A new report from the American Bible Society—drawing on data from the Patmos World Attitudes Bible Survey conducted with Gallup—finds that the United States remains a significant outlier in the secular West when it comes to religious engagement. While majorities in Europe, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand report “never” opening the Christian Bible, only 33% of Americans say the same. In contrast, 45% of U.S. respondents report reading the Bible at least once a month. This comparatively devout posture shouldn't surprise anyone: Christian nationalism continues to wield outsized influence in the U.S., in stark contrast to its declining relevance elsewhere in the developed world. Still, the findings serve as a striking confirmation of America’s persistent religiosity, even amid broader trends of secularization.

In the UK, the Crown Prosecution Service appears to have partially caved to pressure from secular activists in the case of Hamit Coskun, who is facing criminal charges for burning a Qur’an outside the Turkish Embassy in London. Initially, Coskun was charged with showing aggressive intent toward “the institution of Islam”—a troublingly vague and blatantly theological accusation. Prosecutors may have realized this crossed a line, particularly for a government that has recently insisted it will not reintroduce blasphemy laws. That charge—just a few words shy of criminalizing criticism of Islam—has since been dropped. Yet Coskun still faces a charge of “disorderly conduct,” which we believe remains unjustified. Britain must not follow Denmark’s lead, where burning religious texts was banned in 2023. Convicting Coskun for his protest would be a clear miscarriage of justice.

Finally, in Belgium’s East Flanders province, officials have voted to ban head coverings in educational institutions, citing a desire to preserve secularism and “philosophical neutrality.” While EXMNA strongly supports secular governance, we have long argued that banning the hijab is the wrong approach—it undermines the very freedom of expression secularism is meant to protect. While dress codes for public employees may be justified, barring students from wearing specific clothing crosses a line. It’s not only excessive and unnecessary—it’s a clumsy, counterproductive response to the deeper harms of modesty culture.

On The Horizon

Last Call: Draw Muhammad Day Contest Closes Soon!

Time’s almost up to submit your entry for our 2nd Annual Draw Muhammad Day Contest! Whether you’re an artist, a satirist, or just really good at making people laugh, now’s your moment to shine.

🏆 Cash prizes for 1st and 2nd place

🎁 EXMNA merch for honorable mentions

🎨 AI-generated and text-based entries welcome—just label them clearly

😂 Humor is highly encouraged

📅 Deadline: May 16

📧 Send entries to [email protected] with “Draw Muhammad Day Contest” as the subject line.

Make it funny. Make it fearless. Make it blasphemous.

Until next week,

The Team at Ex-Muslims of North America

P.S. We’d love to hear from you! Share your feedback at [email protected].

Whether it’s giving $5 or $500, help us fight for a future where all are free to follow their conscience.